Staff favorites: Products we loved in 2017
Editors share their favorite natural and organic products discovered this year.
December 21, 2017
![Staff favorites: Products we loved in 2017 Staff favorites: Products we loved in 2017](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt1ab4694e656f517b/64f1c9a005501ca6b7ce5fe8/staff-faves-2017-promo_1.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Collagen is booming. And with the uptick in consumers demanding this antiaging all-star, more are looking for a marine collagen option. Vital Proteins uses sustainably sourced snapper scale collagen peptides and sources all other complementary ingredients consciously, too. -Jessica Rubino, beauty editor
As the consummate seaweed fan in the office, I would be remiss not to note my fave of the year: Blue Evolution Classic Marinara Superfood Seaweed. This company excited me when I first found it a couple of years ago. I’m so glad it finally launched officially at Natural Products Expo East this year. The company makes seaweed accessible; no odd chips show up in this line, which includes the marinara, pasta and mac and cheese. And I love the farming story and company goals: think regenerative ag of the ocean. -Christine Kapperman, senior content director
In 2017 an important human study was published demonstrating that the so-called macular carotenoids of lutein, zeaxanthin and meso-zeaxanthin can filter out blue light from digital screens like iphones and laptops that cause headaches, eye strain, even sleeplessness. Twinlab quickly hopped on board with the Lutemax 2020 ingredient complex, and then formulated it in a chewable tablet—great for kids who are gamers and Snapchatters and have trouble swallowing pills. -Todd Runestad, ingredients and supplements editor
I discovered this super-rad, East Coast-based brand earlier this year at a trade show, and I was blown away at first taste. Surely, I thought, a frozen treat this delicious must be laced with heavy cream and loads of sugar. But somehow Eat Mud whips up USDA Organic coconut cream, dates, raw cashews and Fair Trade coffee to create this soft, wickedly delicious, vegan and paleo dessert that deeply satisfies. -Jenna Blumenfeld, senior food editor
These roll-on perfumes aren’t greasy and smell amazing—especially the exotic Neroli. -Hannah Esper, content producer
Since going dairy free seven years ago, I’ve struggled to find a nondairy yogurt that isn’t drippy and also delivers a decent amount of protein without a ton of sugar. I’d all but given up until our Boulder neighbors Good Karma came out with a plain flax-based yogurt that checks all those boxes. -Deanna Pogorelc, senior content producer
Hemp oil, and specifically CBD, are hot commodities these days—but they are not without some risk. Emerald brings a wholly new take on the subject with non-cannabis ingredients that nevertheless positively influence the body’s endocannabinoid system, which is involved in every aspect of human health by mediating and regulating a wide range of physiological effects from the brain and nervous system to pain, appetite and mood. Five SKUs address the trending concerns stress, sleep, cognitive, inflammation and bliss. Bliss, you say? Want! The company has a robust education campaign to help retailers and the public understand the importance of the endocannabinoid system and how it can be influenced by compounds other than those found in the cannabis plant. Industry education legend Dr. Michael Murray, N.D., sits on the company’s board of scientific advisors. -Todd Runestad, ingredients and supplements editor
Fragrance continues to be one of the personal care industry’s most opaque categories (regulations don’t require full ingredient disclosure). Goddess Garden not only provides full transparency of its organic essential oil-based ingredient list in this 2017 launch, but it gave us a seriously great-smelling product that glides on smoothly, giving your mood a boost. -Jessica Rubino, beauty editor
Delicious, clean label of ingredients, and the company even recommends it as ice cream for breakfast … what’s not to love? -Claire Morton, senior industry analyst
Like maple water, but delightfully bubbly. This brand taps Vermont maple trees to harvest maple water, the stuff of maple syrup before it’s boiled down into a viscous, golden topping. Slightly sweet, this 40-calorie beverage contains a reasonable 9 grams of sugar, making it a solid midday refresher and or post workout refuel. This beverage is wildly tasty. But I love it most because maple water products add economic incentive to keep Vermont forests healthy—not to cut them down for lumber. -Jenna Blumenfeld, senior food editor
I have loved essential oil since a friend used his “medicine” bag to fix up my sick self a few decades ago. (Yes, I hate that I can count time in decades with an “s.”) So, while I have made my own spritzes and sprays, this year I came to love the ease, smell and rested feeling Aura Cacia’s Essential Solutions Mist Chill Pill offers. I spray some chill over my bed and my being each night before sliding into bed. -Christine Kapperman, senior content director
I love Pact’s organic cotton basics as a gateway for those of us who are just starting to get serious about making more thoughtful decisions about what we put on our bodies. They’re so soft and they hold up great. -Deanna Pogorelc, senior content producer
Shine on! Finally, a salon-quality nontoxic shampoo (at a great price). This smart formulation uses Country Life Maxi-Hair plus Biotin, keratin and vitamin B5 to keep tresses as fierce and resilient as you are—and is proven to help reduce breakage by up to 61 percent. Plus, the dose of jojoba, coconut and aloe smooth hair to lend healthy-looking locks, instantly. This product shows how Country Life and Desert Essence (part of the same company) work together to deliver fortified beauty products to results-driven consumers. -Jessica Rubino, beauty editor
If you follow the directions correctly, a pancake appears as if by magic—no equipment required! -Hannah Esper, content producer
There’s something refreshing about a company that, year after year, does business right. And when it comes to integrity in beauty, Badger is second to none. The certified B Corp’s commitment to wellness starts with plant-based healing products (one of its latest launches is the NEXTY-winning tattoo balm) and goes right down to what its employees eat for lunch (organic homemade meals, every day). Whether supporting climate-friendly agriculture or instating rigorous quality and safety testing at its New Hampshire facility (which we had the chance to visit this year and see all this great work in action), the company is truly committed to giving the beauty industry a much-needed makeover—and we think it’s working. Brava! -Jessica Rubino, beauty editor
There’s something refreshing about a company that, year after year, does business right. And when it comes to integrity in beauty, Badger is second to none. The certified B Corp’s commitment to wellness starts with plant-based healing products (one of its latest launches is the NEXTY-winning tattoo balm) and goes right down to what its employees eat for lunch (organic homemade meals, every day). Whether supporting climate-friendly agriculture or instating rigorous quality and safety testing at its New Hampshire facility (which we had the chance to visit this year and see all this great work in action), the company is truly committed to giving the beauty industry a much-needed makeover—and we think it’s working. Brava! -Jessica Rubino, beauty editor
It’s an honor and a privilege to cover the natural products industry as writers and editors—to meet the people devoting their lives to making safer, healthier, better products, and to watch that change happen.
It’s no doubt an added perk that hundreds of products come across the desks of New Hope Network editors each year to test and review. Here, in no special order, are ones that excited us most.
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